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Five Earths - Timeline (2013 August)
This is the timeline of the Five Earths, All in a Row setting of 2013 August. (1941 on Earth-2, 1879 on Earth-3, 1556 on Earth-4, and 515 CE/1268 AUC on Earth-5) <-2013 July; 2013 September-> August 1 August 1: In Dsp-Fawcett City, Wis., Dr. Beautia Sivana completes a series of operations to give her half-sister Georgia a more pleasing appearance, due to her belief that 'everyone has a right to be beautiful, if they want to.' On Earth-4, the Beriev Altair from July 3, 2014, being slower than other Earth-1 spaceplanes due to errors in the upgrade process, finally arrives, landing at sea north of Mérida, Clp-Mexica. August 2 A 'wake-reducing' device (limited psychokinetic control of seawater) is developed by Axis scientists in Dsp-Königsberg - the equipment is bulky, and does not scale down well. In Dsp-UK, the RAF accept delivery of the Boulton Paul Reliant, a 'modernized' version of the company's Defiant turreted fighter. Originally intended to be a new Mark of the Defiant, the Reliant is so different that it needed a new designation: the fighter uses a jet engine based on that of the MiG-15, a pair of forward autocannons based on the NR-23 from that aircraft (while retaining the Defiant's four-gun turret), as well as swept wings, head-up displays, low-light and infrared cameras and targeting sensors, and missile hard-points based on Inp-US and Inp-UK technology delivered by MIRV (see June 13, 2013), generally equivalent to Earth-1 1960s equipment (albeit using multiplex vacuum tubes, rather than transistors). Missiles include both air-to-air (for anti-bomber duties) and air-to-surface (primarily radar-seekers). Earth-1 observers are somewhat dubious about the use of a turret on this fighter. After a number of early experiments that went unnoticed off of Fa-Earth (and were not reported to their ambassadors, as they weren't sure how well it would work), a long-range spark-gap radio transmitter is established outside Fa-Roma. The transmitter (and accompanying receivers along the same river) was made with plans from the future Earths, and built in a temple to Jupiter & Mercury. It uses dedicated water wheels to generate power, as do the aforementioned receivers, in their own temples, and a highly expensive mass of wire as the antenna. One of the last to send a message on the first day is Pope Fabian II (born Fabian of Florentia, mortal half-elf, unknown or non-existent on other Earths). He was allowed to do this, rather than being made to wait, because the Consuls, Drustanus and Esyllt, are Christians, even if they aren't of one of the factions that Fabian is spokesman for or leader of. The letter give a short summary of the state of Roman Christianity, and seeks to consult with the other Popes, once more transmitters and receivers are available. Aug. 3 In Stp-Switzerland, the Æther Screw is invented by Dr. Johann Jakob Balmer, and engineer Hans Dietiker. The Screw should provide significant thrust, but is declared to be quite 'loud' or 'noisy' by psychics capable of perceiving it, and seems to be far less efficient in a gravity well. On Dp-Earth, Superman gives a radio interview to reporters on Inp-Earth (the lag between questions and answers will be edited out, before broadcasting); among the topic discussed is the Inp-Earth movie Event Horizon, which the computers in Superman's Secret Sanctuary (which is rather better-hidden than the one in the comics) intercepted a transmission of: it seems the movie is eerily similar to the 'black box' recordings from Krypton's first, and last, hyperdrive vessel (whose name referenced the same phenomenon that 'Event Horizon' refers to in English), and from the vessel sent to rescue the crew when she reappeared. Not a perfect match, even ignoring details like different names and faces, but close enough for it to stick in Kal'El's mind, and for him to comment on in the interview. Aug. 4 In Inp-UK, Games Workshop subsidiary Adeptus Mechanicus plc greatly increases the budget for the development of Gellar Fields. In Stp-USA, a number of black Americans parade or otherwise celebrate the birthday of Inp-USA President Barak H. Obama. The reaction of many of the more racist white Americans to this is often violent. Reuters (who have regular radiotelegraph contact with their counterparts on Stp-Earth) will later report that between 490 and 520 black Americans on Stp-Earth are killed, mostly concentrated in the current or former Slave States. Less than one hundred, probably less than eighty, were killed in the Northern states, and it's hard to tell in the West, but a lot of western states have, while not a black majority, at least enough to make racially-motivated lynchings rather dangerous for the would-be lynchers. To say that many people on Inp-Earth and Dp-Earth are horrified by these numbers is to understate the case by quite a bit. Aug. 5 Childers-Robertson-Smythe study "On the Methodology of Thaumatological Didactics: A study of the art of magic leading to its evanescence into a science" is pre-published on various 'open access' websites on Inp-Earth (Dr. Jane Childers is a parapsychologist and occasional hoaxbuster, Prof. Ivan Robertson is a psychology professor and empowered Negima fan, and Dr. Fabian Smythe is a more normal psychologist). An average of 800 hours of self study (when that works at all - more than half gave up part-way through, and some had not developed powers by the time the study ended), 400 hours of classroom training, or 200 hours of intensive training with one teacher and one student, generally allow an unempowered person to develop the basic spellcasting power that many nerds and other outsiders gained instantly during the Probe Event. Those who still believed that the powers were a hoax, or could not bring themselves to believe it was possible for them specifically to develop powers, uniformly failed to develop any. Aug. 7 On Dp-Earth, a fatally injured scientist has his brain installed in an advanced robot body, taking up the identity of Robotman. In Dp-UK, the de Havilland Vampire enters service with the RAF and RNFAA. On and above Inp-Earth, the first SF-15F Space Eagle reaches orbit, and is run through its paces, returning with only minor incidents. In the Inp-USA, test pilot Captain Natalie Allena Adams, USAF, is seemingly killed when the jet she is testing, a variant with a cockpit armoured in an alloy from Dp-Earth called Diluted Steel, or Dilustel for short, suffers a serious equipment failure, and crashes. Not long thereafter, a being claiming to be, and resembling, Captain Adams emerges from the wreckage, covered entirely in body-conforming dilustel. In Inp-UK, due to the expansion of the British Army, several regiments are de-amalgamated. On Stp-Earth, the Æther Screw prototype is tested using a heavy aeronef, and shows noticeably greater thrust at the aeronef's altitude ceiling than it did on the ground. Orbital tests are planned for late September, due to strong interest by several governments. Aug. 9 Bombardier Aerospace and their subsidiary, Short Brothers plc, jointly announce a pair of new aerospace vehicles they've been working on for the RAF: the Bombardier Beetle long-range cargo/fighter carrier (a large lifting body design, described as looking 'like a triangular beetle'), and the Short Sparrowhawk spacefighter (another lifting body, about 13.37m long). Both are clearly 'enhanced spacecraft designed with atmospheric capabilities in mind', rather than 'enhanced aircraft with space capabilities tacked on by magic', like most previous space war vehicles from Inp-Earth. Aug. 10 Spurred by the previous day's announcement, BERG Inc subsidiary War Rocket gives a press release including an artist's conception of their new vessel, the War Rocket Ajax (a winged tail-lander, intended as a medium range space fighter-bomber, or with minor modifications, a medium-long ranged light cargo, E-War, or reconnaissance vehicle). Also announced that day are the Handley Page Vengence (a Skylon-derived long-range aerospace bomber), and the BAe Systems Thunder Child (a flying saucer design, named due to the emergency ramming option, but intended as a long-range heavy aerospace fighter-bomber). All are, like the Beetle and Sparrowhawk, 'enhanced spacecraft', rather than 'enhanced aircraft'. The presentations look a bit hurried, as the involved companies had intended to make their announcements much later, but were pushed into it by Bombardier & Short. Aug. 11 In Inp-Japan, Kenji and Sadako encounter an evil spirit called Tomie, and Tomie learns to regret the fact that she cannot die. At a DARPA laboratory in California, a series of strange coincidences, culminating in a minor earthquake, cause biochemist Dr. William Banner to be injected with the Dp-Earth super-soldier serum he had been studying, and then immediately exposed to a strong gamma-ray source that if not for bureaucratic error, would not have been anywhere near him. Now, whenever Dr. Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs... Aug. 12 On Inp-Earth, Dr. William Banner signs up for an anger management course. DARPA's personnel department is ordered to take care in assigning people to projects where their names might attract the wrong sort of attention. Starship Enterprises begins testing of their Class A shuttlepod. In Inp-Sweden, a Bifrost Laser Launch System oriented on polar orbits becomes active - the central computer is called Heimdallr, of course. About 12% of the money for this system was put up by Project Skyhook, a US-lead attempt to build up space infrastructure. Aug. 13 Several Disney theme-parks on Inp-Earth open technurgical low gravity simulators in the various 'Technology'-themed sections. The simulations are set up as a Mars-base, a Moon-base, and a microgravity space station, with appropriate gravity levels for each, and long exit corridors that slowly ramp up to normal gravity - while most of these exhibits are futuristic for Inp-Earth, the one at Discoveryland in Paris is distinctly Steampunk and Clockpunk themed, while the one at the original Tomorrowland in California has a Dieselpunk theme partially designed by Dp-Earth's Walt Disney. A smaller astronef, Henry VIII, is launched from Stp-British Guiana, bound for Clp-England, to establish radio transceivers. The crew are all volunteers, with interests in Renaissance history or related topics, and bring clothing that complies with the Statutes of Apparel, as relayed by the ambassadors from Fa-Earth (though for diplomatic reasons, the Court of Elizabeth I promises to be forgiving of any errors). Aug. 14 In Stp-Poland, the Polish people declare themselves a sovereign nation, an elective kingdom independent of the Stp-Russian Empire and the Stp-Kingdom of Prussia. On Inp-Earth, an arrogant fool who possesses both a Yellow power ring, and skill in summoning spirits, makes the mistake of summoning the thoughtform of Thaal Sinestro, hoping to learn from him. Instead, he is possessed by Sinestro, who begins to subvert the Yellow Lantern Corps NGO to his own ends. Aug. 17 On Fa-Earth, King Arthur establishes the Universtatis Oxoniensis, and the village of Oxonia, in the location that Oxford occupies on the other Earths. The library is copied from the Library of Alexandria (the work of copying was started by High King Vortigern, for the Proconsular Library, but Arthur felt it would do more good where more scholars could access it; the process of copying is still ongoing, as the Great Library has a vast collection). On Stp-Earth, negotiations with the Poles break down, and the War of the Polish Insurrection begins. Aug. 20 On and above Inp-Earth, British car news and comedy programme Top Gear successfully transforms a Reliant Robin into a working space shuttle, thanks to techniques derived from the Starfighter upgrade, and 'a couple of bored lads on leave from the RAF', who made sure everything was safe. The unmanned Robin makes three orbits, and comes in for a soft landing at an abandoned airfield in Australia. Found within, apart from the cameras, a lot of scientific instruments provided by rock star and astrophysicist (yes, really) Dr. Brian May, the episode's celebrity guest, and a few toys put in to float about and look cute, are two orders of Welsh rabbit. These were originally supposed to be two live English rabbits, but neither the RSPCA nor the Australian government were inclined to sign off on it. The Australian restaurant critics that Richard Hammond somehow convinced to try them pronounced the dishes 'cold, but not wholly inedible'. Aug. 22 An agreement is reached between Stp-Earth's Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Galician Poles of Stp-Earth, who are morally and financially supported by Inp-Poland. The Austro-Hungarian Empire declares neutrality in the War of the Polish Insurrection, and grants significant autonomy to Polish-majority part of Galicia, in return for favorable trade relations and other considerations, when they become available (mostly, Franz Joseph I just wants to avoid a possibly World War I scenario, but needs something to show for his refusal to get involved). Aug. 23 On Inp-Earth, every mundane electronic camera, and some of the weaker empowered electronic cameras, in the radius below fails for 12 minutes, 34.5 seconds, from 5:56am to 6:09am, GMT. The quite small number of film cameras (magical and otherwise) used in the zone at that time are completely unaffected. No significant crimes are committed in the affected area, during the disruption. The effect seems to be centred in the woods near the Havenhill Dale brook (aka Bentley brook, Bradboune brook), in Derbyshire, though investigators find little evidence of ritual activity, beyond what sounds like the giggling of faeries. http://i.imgur.com/74lcXtb.png Many politicians attempt to brainstorm ways that they can be seen to be doing something about this event, but few come up with anything that would actually be productive, and some are even worse than useless, like putting a D-Notice on the press, despite the fact that the French will not do this, nor the Irish, nor will bloggers and internet forums be restrained by it. Aug. 27 In Inp-Japan, Sadako & Kenji encounter the thoughtform of Saeki Kayako, and the other vengeful ghosts from the Ju-on series, at an abandoned house in Tokyo. Aug. 30 In Inp-Tokyo, Kenji, Sadako, and a local empowered miko named Reika are able to trap the spirits of Kayako, Takeo, Toshio, and the cat Mar in a group of dolls, which are interred with great ceremony in a carefully-consecrated shrine. Category:Timelines Category:Fanwork